Dear Sir

To Whom it May Concern:

I am excited about the up coming school year and looking forward to working in this wonderful district. I know our district is striving for student success and raising test scores. I fully support the administration of this fine district and the teachers that are working hard to make them proud.

I have a concern I would like to voice. In six days of staff development, the teachers at my school were allowed two hours in their classrooms to get ready for the children on Monday. Our principals tell us there was just "too much to do" to give us the time in our rooms to be ready for the first day of school. Many of our staff members feel behind and unprepared to welcome our students on Monday. Our principals, in an effort to help ease our stress, have let us know that the building will be open on Saturday from 9-5 with air so we won't burn up while slaving in our classrooms to be ready. I do not know of any business that would expect their employees to show up on a Saturday to prepare for a Monday meeting and not be paid for it. However, that is what is happening in my building. We get no compensation for the time we have to give on a Saturday to get ready for the first day of school because someone (in our building or district wide) did not allow us the time during our contracted days, Monday-Friday from 8-4 to prepare for our students. My understanding has always been that teachers were to have a whole day in their classrooms to prep for the first day of school. I don't remember reading that day could be on the weekend and be unpaid. This is a bad example to set for new teachers in our building as well. Many were in tears throughout the week trying to figure out how to get everything done.

With this district moving towards Professional Learning Communities, I think it would be a good idea for our district administrators to put together a PLC for this problem and see if a solution can be found. If the teachers are burned out in the staff development week before the first day of school, they start the school year with a negative attitude, which will not facilitate student success. How will we be able to help our students move ahead, if your teachers feel behind from the first day?

Sincerely,
An Angry Teacher